Immigration cops to be barred from women's shelters

Canadian authorities looking to deport illegal immigrants will be prohibited from raiding shelters and locations where women are treated for abuse.

The Canadian Border Services Agency will issue a directive to its officers on Thursday banning them from entering or waiting outside such locations.

“This is just one small step as part of a broader city campaign to make the city safer for women with undocumented or precarious immigrant status,” said Fariah Chowdhury, an organizer with Shelter Sanctuary Status.

“The policy is certainly a victory, but we have to continue to struggle to make sure that more services are available to people without status and make sure the city is safe in other ways.”

Women’s shelters, drop-in centres, rape crisis centres, group counselling homes and community organizations which treat abused women will be covered by the policy.

There are more than 500,000 people living without proper immigration documents across Canada.

Thursday is the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.